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As the calendar year rolls over and the harsh winter winds gain ferocity, there is one thing that keeps me going…propels me forward towards the impending spring that seems ever so far away…warms my bones and heart when nothing else can thaw the freeze…BARLEYWINE! The mother of all beers. The demolisher of livers. My good friend that never fails to deliver.

To quote the late, great Michael Jackson, “Because I wanted to have a place that I could create everything that I never had as a child. So, you see rides. You see animals. There’s a movie theater.” Oh wait, wrong MJ. Try this one – “This is very distinctive, with an earthy hoppiness, a wineyness, lots of fruit and toffee flavours.” Mr. Jackson, as always, produced a precise and concise summary of the style with that sentence, though his description is by no means the end all be all of the style, especially when some of the more experimental craft breweries get their creative juices flowing. Many of my personal favorite examples of the style are more like uber-balanced imperial IPAs. You will also find versions that have been barrel aged or that resemble more of an imperial stout or eisbock. The possibilities are endless with barleywine, and that why I love them so.

Last year I got my own creative juices a flowin’ in my expression of deep admiration for the style. In case you missed it, follow this link.

Though the two local, not to be missed, mega-celebrations of barleywine are still about a month and a half to two months away [Beveridge Place Pub‘s Bacchanal (date yet to be set) and Brouwer’s Hard Liver (March 12th)], the good folks at Pike Pub & Brewery are celebrating the season with the annual vertical tasting of Old Bawdy (96 on Rate Beer). Check out the details below.